Change of Heart
by Mintermist
Summary: Set four years in the future, 18-year-old Gunther finds himself realizing that for the past four years he has misunderstood Jane...& his own heart. Meanwhile, Jane finds something of a crush developing on her fellow knight. Jane/Gunther. Nice and sappy! :
1. Confusion

**Author's quick little note that probably takes up more space than it should: Hello, everyone! This is just the first part of a story that popped into my head at midnight after watching a certain video about Jane and Gunther (Here We Are) by Youtube user LightningFlash. Blah! I found myself glued to Gunther's potential (though now named impossible...sigh) romance with Jane, after seeing that video. And I used to be a complete Jester/Jane supporter, too! Well, to satisfy that part of me, I am also hoping to get through a Jane/Jester stroy, as well as a Pepper/Rake story...so, yeah.**

**DISCLAIMER: I was half asleep when I wrote this. Starting at midnight, by two thirty AM I had managed to finish this somewhat rough, sappy story. Forgive me if anything is overly lame or if there are spelling mistakes- though I believe I smoothed the typos out mostly, though I may have mixed up my Canadian/American spelling. In fact, the first three chapters were _all_ written in between the hours of 12am and 3:30am. I need a life, huh?  
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But, on a more serious note, I _will_ add more to the first three chapters _if,_ and only if I get positive reviews, though I'm not exactly sure where it will go...we'll see...so it could take a while! Now, I've talked too much. Hope you enjoy "Change of Heart."**

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**Confusion**

Gunther didn't know exactly what it was that she made him feel. A mixture of emotions, all powerful and complex, flooded him. Annoyance, love, frustration, passion, and a variety of others overtook him. But overall confusion. Confusion as to why he had to say the stupid things he did. He didn't understand it. She made him feel so wonderful, yet at the same time so furious.

It only took a glance from those striking green eyes to make him melt inside, yet he covered himself well with a mask of insults. Yet, whenever she would toss back her retorts, each one pierced his heart like an arrow.

"Jane," he whispered her name tenderly to himself in the dark. It rolled off of his tongue sweetly, like honey, and he sighed. How he would love to speak his mind and heart to her, freely and truely, the way she could with Jester. Yet he knew it could never be. They would never be that close. He was sure that in her eyes, they would always be rivals. He was simply another knight on the battlefield, her comrade, perhaps, but never her love.

He regretted that day four years ago when he had told her he couldn't stand the sight of her. He wished he could turn back time, or do something to ease his pain at the memory. _I was too young_, he told himself bitterly, _too young to understand my own heart._ Gunther kicked himself mentally at his stupidity, and imagined her face, her green eyes, her mantle of soft red hair... it pained him dreadfully. How he longed to caress her hair, to hold her in his arms, to see her smile at him, to hear her laugh. He longed to be loved by her.

He turned over in his bed and pounded his pillow with his fist. He had to tell her. He was sure of it. Somehow he had to confess it. But...how? The thought made him tremble, and his pulse to quicken. Jane had made her contempt of him quite clear over the past six years. What would she do if he told her? _She'd laugh, that's what_, he thought, anger sweeping over him, _she'd laugh, or else insult me_. He shuddered. The thought scared him, more than any raging army, or being captured by enemy forces.

Gunther closed his eyes, and breathed in the warm scent of a summer's night. _I'll tell her_, he thought, setting his resolve. _At my first chance, I'll tell her, and I'll take whatever she gives me. Scorn or understanding._ He opened his eyes, and looked out of the window and into the night. He could see the castle from his room, and though he might be able to see her tower. There was a soft, flickering glow of candlelight in one of the windows, and he sighed once more.

"Jane," he whispered again, with longing. And then he closed his eyes and slept.

* * *

Jane was infuriated. And joyful, and giddy, and so full of emotion that she could barely contain herself. He made her feel so...so free and alive, and yet so angry and frustrated! She barely knew what to make of him. Confusion wrapped around her like an impenatrable armor.

Jane sat up on her bed and wrapped her arms around her knees, looking out into the night. He was out there somewhere, she knew, though probably asleep. She sighed, and looked instead to the candle by her bed. He, or anyone else for that matter, could never know how she truly felt.

"Gunther, you beef-brain," she muttered softly, burying her head in her arms.

She didn't know when it had truly begun, but something in her had softened towards Gunther recently. She loved it when he called out her name, even if he insulted her. His lightest touch on her hand sent thrills up her arm and shivers down her spine, and when his eyes met hers she struggled to not let him see her blush. _Maggots...I don't understand. Why now? I've never felt anything before_, she racked her brain for an answer she knew she did not have, and she bit her lip. She knew how he felt about her. Four years ago he had told her how he could barely stand to look at her. At the times the words had been those of relief, but now they stabbed at her whenever she thought of him. They could never be together, no matter how hard she wished it.

She pictured his serious face, his grey-green, truthful eyes and slicked back black hair, and felt a pang of longing. She longed for his companionship, to touch his cheek, to rest her head against his shoulder, to hold his hand. His hands were roughened and calloused from training, but also strong and reassuring. She remembered the feel of them from years before, and could not erase the memory of him grabbing her around the waist when she was twelve, to keep her from falling into a chasm. _Maggots, maggots, maggots!_ Jane cursed herself silently. Why did she have to be such a girl?

She closed her eyes, but memories of Gunther sprung before her eyelids, all silly things._ Sparring matches, hurtful words, the feel of her hand in his..._She shook her head to clear her mind. Why couldn't he just bog off and out of her head?

Jane got up and paced her circular room. _Their quest for skyleaf to cure Dragon, being thrown into the lake on her fifteenth birthday and his sheepish grin after the fact after Dragon chased him round the castle_...memories swirled around her brain like fog, as she remembered the smallest things. Jane stopped pacing, and rested her forehead on the cool stone of the wall. She may have denied it before, but now it was imperative. What she needed was to let it out. She had to tell someone.

She bit her lip so hard that a hairline of blood trickled down her lip. She couldn't tell Jester. For all that she trusted and told him everything, she did not want to hurt him with her feelings towards Gunther. She had seen how it had affected him four years ago, and did not want to lose her best friend.

Dragon was completely out of the question, as was Pepper, considering that they had both unintentionally spread such a rumour before. She supposed she could tell her mother, but that was risky considering that her mother tended the young princess.

Jane knocked her head against the wall. Smithy and Rake would be awkward to speak with about such a topic, as would her father. _That leaves...oh, bog weevils, _Jane slapped the wall with her palm. There was only Gunther...and Gunther.

Jane sighed and crept back into bed. She tossed and turned, feeling no peace. She closed her eyes, and then it came to her. She knew exactly who she could tell, who would neither judge her nor share her secret. With a triumphant smile playing round her lips, Jane relaxed and drifted off to sleep.


	2. Frozen

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Author's Note: Hi again! So here is chapter two...find it lame so far? :P Yup. I agree. So, please don't forget to comment on it, cause I don't want to write more chapters if no one wants to read them. I would prefer to write something else in that case. Cheers!

* * *

**Frozen**

Gunther found himself frozen and undecicive in the cool morning light. He had found Jane in the stables, her arms wrapped around the neck of her horse, and her face burried in his mane. She was oblivious to his presence, and so he stood in the entryway, arms crossed, unsure of what to do. He nervously ran a hand through his dark hair, and tried to take a step forwards, but couldn't budge. _Frozen_. The word echoed like a curse in his mind. He swallowed hard and then opened his mouth.

"J-Jane?" He said. The thrill of her name was sweet on his tongue, though fear made his mouth completely dry. His heart raced in anticipation, as beads of sweat trickled down his neck. He had never felt this nervous around her before.

The red haired figure jumped, and turned to the door. Her eyes met his, and she bit her lip, looking down. He was clearly not the person she wanted to see, and it hurt.

"Oh...Gunther," she shifted from one foot to the other.

"Jane...I...I need to...talk to you..." He managed to stutter, tripping over words. Jane raised an eyebrow, her green eyes looking directly into his grey ones. He could feel his heart hammering, and was sure she would be able to hear it as well. He blushed. _Spit it out already!_ He commanded himself. "I was...uh...wondering if you...if we..." He bit his lip and shut his eyes. "I was wondering if you...would like to come practice with me?" He finally blurted. Jane looked down. It was clearly not what she was expecting, and her disappointment was like a slap in the face for him. _Why didn't you say it!_ He screamed silently at himself, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Oh. Well, I suppose I could..." she trailed off, and there was an awkward silence between the two, before Gunther said: "I'll go get the practice swords." He darted off before she could say a word, and was back quickly with two identical wooden swords. "Are you ready?" he asked nervously, raising the wooden blade to the starting position. Jane simply nodded, and raised her own.

They had been through the exercise hundreds of times. _Thrust! Parry! Lunge! Block! Thrust! Parry! Lunge! Block!_ Yet, for once, Gunther appreciated the consistancy of her strokes. They continued, circling and dodging, and he found it very relaxing. He tried not to look at her, though.

At last, Jane twisted her wrist, and neatly disarmed Gunther. His sword clattered loudly to the ground.

"Yield," she panted. He caught a glimmer of something in her eyes...something he had never seen before, but she covered herself well. He couldn't identify what it was.

Raising a hand, Gunther nodded and smiled at her, a true and honest smile. It was completely without a sneer or even the slightest trace of contempt. Jane looked shocked. The two stood in silence for a few minutes, not daring to speak.

"T-thank you," he managed at last, lifting his eyes. He felt bruised and battered, but wonderful. He looked at her full in the face, and she blushed, avoiding his gaze

"You are welcome," she replied slowly, staring at her feet. "Perhaps we could do this more often..." She inclined her head, and he knew that they were done. Jane crossed the yard, and Gunther sighed. It hadn't gone how he had planned, but it had gone well enough. He turned around to pick up his practice sword, but the sound of approaching feet made him look up. He saw only a glimpse of red hair, and had half uttured her name when it happened.

"Jane-" he started, but before he knew it she had softly brushed her lips against his in gentle kiss.

* * *

Jane stepped back, clapping a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with what she had just done. She felt frozen, and numb and wonderful and terrible. Gunther stared at her, unabashed, but eyes as wide as her. _Maggots! Jane, you donkey..._ She wanted to cry, to scream, to...to do anything but stand there. She wished that the ground beneath her feet would open up and swallow her whole.

"Oh...Gunther...I...sorry, I..." she babbled, her face going as red as her hair.

"Jane?" he asked tentatively, taking a step forewards. She looked up, and met his eyes for a moment, before lowering hers.

"Gunther...I...I am sorry...I should not...I should not have done that...it was just..." she trailed off pathetically, and turned her back to him. "Just look, you beef-brain, I'm sorry," she said. A dark look crossed his face.

A part of her screamed to run. To run and run and run, never stopping. But the bitter-sweet

feeling of her mouth brushing his was so powerful she just stood there, her back to him. The brief seconds had felt so right, and her lips throbbed just at the memory. But she knew he hated her.

"Jane," he said again. His voice was quavering ever so slightly. _He's furious_, she thought. It hurt to think that she had caused so much damage. Why couldn't she just stop putting her foot in her big mouth and screwing everything up?

"Please, Gunther," she said softly, without turning around, "I did it and can't take it back. And I'm sorry for that. I never should have. It was just...never mind. Just forget it ever happened...let's put it behind us."

"Jane, just let me speak, you weevilbrain!" His voice sounded more normal yet gruff at the same time, as well as much closer. A light touch on her shoulder made her jump.

Gunther moved beside her and tilted her face upwards towards his. His grey eyes locked with hers, and she found that she couldn't look away. "Jane...why did you just do that?" Jane was all to aware of his light grip on her arm, and the touch of his hand made her blush all the harder.

"I...I don't know...I just wanted..." she bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm sorry Gunther...I know I never should have. I let my heart get in the way of my head and my training. I'm sorry." She tore herself from his grasp, and keeping her eyes resolutely ahead of herself as she ran out of the practice yard. _Jane, you stupid biscuit weevil!_ She ignored his calls, and kept herself swept up in her own thoughts, using them as a shield.

She ran up the stairs to her tower room, taking them two at a time, and upon entering, slammed the door behind her. She flung herself onto her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, and it was only then, in the privacy of her own room, that she allowed herself to sob over the young man that four years ago she had vowed to detest.


	3. Turmoil

**Author's Note: Hey! Wow...I can't believe it! If you're reading this right now, thank you very much! To be quite honest I am amazed...looking back on the story...blah I feel like it's kinda-really lame. Or am I just being too hard on a story I knew would be sappy from the first word on? Got any ideas? Or just want more? _Comment, comment, comment_**! **Thanks...  
-Mintermist**

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**Turmoil**

Gunther's heart was in complete turmoil. For about an hour he walked aimlessly around the courtyards, his head reeling. He couldn't believe it. He never would have believed that a kiss from Jane could make him feel so elated and yet so flat. He passionately wished he had kissed her back, and knocked on her door many times. There was never an answer, no matter what he said. He went about his duties carelessly, all the while his mind on Jane.

He tried to imagine what he would say to her when he saw her, but his mind drew so many blanks that he finally gave up.

The sky gradually began to turn pale pink and bright orange with the setting sun. With the sunset, he would have regularly left the castle. Instead, he sat down at the foot of the stairs leading to Jane's room, and waited. There was nothing more he could do.

* * *

Jane slipped out of her tower with the twilight. Her head and her heart were in turmoil, clashing and causing her great distress, and the only way she could think of calming herself was taking a round at the practice dummy.

Wooden sword in hand, she nimbly decended the stairs. Gunther would have returned home by now, and she could use this time to try to heal the memory of that morning. Sighing, looked up. It was practically night now.

"Jane?" She spun around, and saw Gunther leaning, arms crossed, against the stone base of the staircase. He watched her face curiously, and Jane felt very self-concious. _Was her hair sticking up? Were her eyes still red?_

"W-what are you still doing here?" She scowled to hear her voice quaver. Gunther took a step out of the shadows and took one of her hands in his. Jane flinched. "Gunther, please. We've been over this." Gunther shook his head to silence her, fingering her hand.

"Jane, I...I need to know. Please, just tell me. _Did you mean that kiss_?" He looked so vulnerable. Jane closed her eyes.

"Yes...and no...and...well, I don't know, Gunther..." she let out a little groan of frustration and pulled her hand out of his. Turning on her heel, she stalked over to the practice dummy and began hacking visciously at it with her practice weapon. _Thrust! Thrust! Parry! Block!_ She set the pace, each stroke a symbol of her inner turmoil. Gunther followed her.

"Jane!" His voice was gruff and deep, as he grabbed one of her arms, stopping her midswing. Jane glared at him.

"Maggots! Just forget about it, Gunther. I'm sorry that it happened, alright? Happy?" _Why did he have to bring out the worst in her?_ She had suffered it the past six years, when their knight's training had first begun.

"Fine," he said quietly. "I _will_ forget about it." He turned his back to her and began walking away. Jane immediately felt a chill overtake her, and something dropped in her stomach. She watched his retreating back for a moment, and a terrible sadness overtook her. This was _Gunther_! She tried to call out his name, but her voice caught in her throat.

He was already under the archway seperating the kitchen courtyard from the practice one, when Jane caught up with him. He turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, but seeing her, his eyes hardened and he continued walking.

"Gunther! _Gunther_!" she cried, grabbing the sleeve of his tunic. He turned towards her slowly, and looked down his nose at her.

"Yes, Jane?" he replied with an icy coolness. Jane's insides squirmed at his distant behaviour.

"Gunther...I...I'm sorry for what I said," she could feel tears brimming in her eyes. "For _everything_ I said. I just...well...uggh! You make everything so...so _difficult_!" He looked at her critically, but she noticed how his eyes softened. She took a step forewards, and looked up at him. They were a breath's distance apart. "Yes, I was sorry for the kiss," she saw his face fall, so she added quickly, "But only because it meant so much to me. I...Gunther, I think that I might just love you." She bit her lip and looked up at him, her eyes so full of hope. A tear trickled down her cheek, but she brushed it angrily aside.

"So, Jane," he whispered, bringing his face even closer to hers. She looked up at him a moment, and then it happened. Gunther closed the space between them. She felt the soft pressure of his mouth over hers, as he kissed her. His strong arms wrapped round her waist, comforting and warm, pulling her close to him, and she snaked her arms round his neck. She felt so loved, so safe, and she knew she had found her place in him.

The two broke away for breath, but before Jane could think, Gunther had kissed her again. He ran a calloused hand through her hair, and she leant into him. Everything felt so _right_- the feel of his mouth, the touch of his arms, the scent of him. At last they broke away, and Gunther cupped a cheek in one hand, brushing the corners of her mouth with his thumb.

"So...how was that?" he asked nervously. Jane smiled and lightly kissed him again.

"It was wonderful," she said. Gunther sighed and nodded, and then put his forehead against hers, eyes shut in a peaceful bliss.

"Jane," he whispered at last, eyes still shut.

"Yes?"

"I...love you." She grinned up at him wickedly.

"I know." Was all she said, as she leant her head against his chest, the turmoil in her heart subsided.


End file.
